Surprises
by dear-marauder
Summary: Alec/Magnus, post CoG. They've gone to Europe for reasons unknown until City of Fallen Angels comes out. A bit of angst framed by fluff. Alec surprises Magnus three times. Rated for language and innuendo.


A/N: Cassie posted an Alec/Magnus outtake to her google group yesterday, which put me in the mood to write something Alec/Magnus centric. (The outtake can be found here: .) I don't own them, they're Cassie's creations, and all that jazz.

* * *

Magnus Bane, eyes still heavy from sleep, walked out of the bedroom, surprised to see Alec industriously bending over something at the kitchen table. "What are you doing?" he said through a yawn.

"Writing to Jace." Alec put his pen down and turned in his seat to face Magnus. "Good nap?"

Magnus shrugged, and tried to ignore the twinge of annoyance that flared up every time Alec showed partiality to Jace. He knew Alec didn't love Jace anymore – had probably been more in love with the _idea_ of Jace than Jace himself – but it didn't stop the jealousy from reemerging at times. When this happened, he ususally told himself he was being an idiot and then cracked a joke so Alec wouldn't suspect anything.

"While the Spanish may have questionable taste in traditional music, they more than make up for it with the siesta. Pictures?" He stepped forward to pick up the stack photos at Alec's elbow and began to flip through them. There were shots of Alec and Magnus riding in a gondola in Venice and standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. There was a shot of Magnus posing in a London train station under a sign labeled Platform 9 ¾. Magnus smirked as he remembered Alec grumbling while he took the picture.

"_Alec, dear, I want to be in this one alone."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because it's Platform 9 ¾. You can't do magic, so you wouldn't be able to access it."_

_Alec frowned. "There's nothing to access. It's right there on the wall."_

"_Yes," Magnus said patiently, "but in the books you had to be a wizard to get through."_

"_You're a warlock, not a wizard." But he raised the camera._

"_In Rowling's world, warlocks are wizards," said Magnus as he struck a pose. "Clearly I need to create a summer reading list for you."_

There was a group photo (which Magnus had refused to appear in) of Alec and the Shadowhunters from the London Institute, as well as pictures of the Parthenon and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Magnus had also taken a bunch of candid photos, mostly of Alec, and most of those with Alec being stubborn and refusing to show his face.

"_I don't like being alone in pictures," he said when Magnus asked why he was being so difficult. "I don't like that much attention focused on me."_

But one picture was missing. It was a candid photo they'd taken beside some random fountain – Magnus couldn't even remember which city it had been in. They'd done the silly thing that tourists always do and tossed their pocket change into the bowl at the bottom of the fountain.

"_What did you wish for?" Magnus asked after they tossed the coins._

_Alec groaned. "You didn't tell me I was supposed to wish for something. Now I don't have any change left, so I can't do it right."_

"_Here." Magnus conjured a coin and handed it to him. "Make a wish this time."_

_Alec grinned, closed his eyes, and tossed the coin into the fountain. Then, with a smug look at Magnus, he walked away._

"_What did you wish for?" _

_Alec just shrugged._

_Magnus grabbed his arm and dragged him back. "Tell me. Tell me or I'll do something dastardly right here and now."_

_Alec snorted. "Not even _you_ are that uninhibited."_

_Magnus raised an eyebrow. "My, my, don't we have the dirty mind this afternoon." Then he widened his eyes and did his best to look innocent and adorable. "Pleeeease?"_

_Alec laughed and, so suddenly that Magnus was taken completely by surprise, stepped forward and crushed his lips to Magnus'. Then, he'd surprised Magnus even further by holding the camera out at arms length and snapping a picture before they broke apart._

Magnus was still a bit shocked that Alec had been the one to initiate the photo. For obvious reasons, it was his favorite. "Where's the one of us by the fountain?" Magnus asked in what he hoped was a casual tone; it wouldn't do to look too clingy or sentimental.

Alec had gone back to his letter and he didn't look up. "I'm sending it home."

All sophistication gone, Magnus sputtered, "But why? Do you _want_ your parents to kill me?"

"It's not like they haven't seen us kiss before, Magnus. They were at the Hall of Accords, you know." He crumpled up the sheet of paper he'd been writing on and tossed it in the kitchen sink.

"The garbage disposal only works for foodstuffs," Magnus said mildly, trying not to wonder too much what Alec had wanted to say to Jace but hadn't. In an effort to distract himself, he returned to the subject of the photo. "If you send them that picture, then we won't have a copy."

"The camera's digital," Alec said, scribbling on a new sheet of paper. "I didn't delete the originals when I got the prints made."

"Oh." Magnus couldn't really argue with that.

"There." Alec signed his name with a flourish and held the letter out to Magnus. "Do you want to sign it too?"

Feeling slightly apprehensive, Magnus took the piece of paper, then burst into laughter. It read, simply, "Glad you're not here."

"I'll sign my name to that," he said and took the fountain pen Alec offered. "I must say, given the tone of the letter, that picture is probably the most appropriate one to send after all."

"I thought so," Alec said smugly as he folded the "letter" around the photo.

"What did you wish for?" Magnus asked suddenly. He'd been doing that at random moments ever since fountain, hoping to catch Alec off guard.

"Nothing." Alec stuffed the letter into an envelope and licked the flap.

Magnus couldn't believe it. "Nothing?"

"Nothing." He pressed the flap down, sealing the envelope. "Do we have any international stamps?"

"No, we'll have to buy some. You can't wish for nothing and then act smug about it. That's got to be against the rules." He folded his arms and glowered. "You cheated, Alexander Lightwood."

Alec swung around sideways in his chair so that he squarely faced Magnus. "Are you going to punish me, then?"

"No," Magnus said in a petulant tone. "You'd enjoy it too much."

Alec laughed and stood. He put his hands on Magnus' bare chest, then slid them up and clasped them behind Magnus' neck. Suddenly, with Alec so close and staring at him with those gorgeous blue eyes, it was very hard to pretend to be angry. Magnus unfolded his arms and grabbed Alec by the hips. He was about to pull the younger man against him, when Alec managed to completely surprise him for the second time that trip.

"I didn't wish for anything," Alec said, "because it would have been pointless. I already have everything I want."

Magnus' hands lost their grip and dropped limply to his sides.

"What?" Alec stepped backwards, his expression completely open and suddenly riddled with fear. "Was I too honest? Too sappy? Too needy?"

Magnus shook his head. "I make you that happy? Honestly? You couldn't think of a single thing that would make you happier?"

"Well, I thought about wishing that you would stop snoring at night, but then I realized I'm so used to it by now that the bedroom would be tooquiet, and I _still_ wouldn't be able to sleep."

"I'm being serious, Alec."

Alec immediately sobered. "So am I. I love you, remember?"

"There are degrees of love. I'm centuries old, Alec, and I've loved before. I've even been _in love_ before, which isn't quite the same thing. Men, women, humans, Downworlders. I've probably loved everything at one time or another. And now I love you, and it's different. It's bigger, and more intense, and a damn sight scarier than anything I've ever done before and sometimes I wonder…"

"What?" Alec's voice had gone completely cold, and he stepped backwards so Magnus could no longer touch him. "Just what is it that you wonder, Magnus Bane? Do you wonder if I didn't mean it when I risked my career, my relationship with my family, my entire place in society by kissing you in front of _everybody_? Do you worry that I'm going to just take off when this gets difficult and I'm tired of you acting like such a drama queen? Or do you just not think I'm old or experienced enough to know what I'm talking about when I say that you're the love of my goddamn life?"

Alec's voice broke as he reached the end of his tirade, and he turned away to go pick up the letter he'd tossed in the sink, probably more so he could hide his expression than because he cared about the damn housekeeping. Magnus winced, knowing this was his fault. He was being stupid and insecure. Magnus had felt so self-righteous when he'd pointed out that Alec was being a coward about committing to their relationship, but now he was doing the same fucking thing. No, it was worse. He'd badgered Alec to commit to him, and now that he had, Magnus was throwing it back in his face with his lack of trust.

He knew better.

And Alec deserved better.

He walked the few short steps to the kitchen and stood beside Alec, who was staring out the window over the sink. "I'm sorry."

Alec didn't respond.

"You're right; I'm being an insecure asshat, and I'm sorry. Trust isn't one of my greatest virtues, but with you I should know better."

"Damn right, you should. If you weren't the love of my life, I'd probably have broken the camera over your head for taking all those pictures of me."

Magnus' lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile. Alec was making a joke, so he must not be completely pissed off anymore. "But you're just so pretty," he said. His tone was light-hearted, but the words were completely sincere. "You could be a model if you wanted to."

Alec turned to face him then, and the look on his face was one of such abject horror that Magnus threw back his head a laughed. "Angel forbid," Alec said. "Only a Downworlder could come up with such a diabolic idea." He frowned as Magnus continued to laugh. "It's not funny."

"You're adorable when you're indignant," Magnus told him and, placing a hand on either side of Alec's face, leaned in to kiss him.

Alec struggled at first, but it didn't take him long to give in. His lips softened against Magnus' and he cupped a hand around the back of Magnus' neck. Magnus was just debating whether to lead him into the bedroom or undress him right there when something cold and wet slopped onto the back of his head. He jolted in surprise, gave an undignified shriek – which he later completely denied – and reached a hand back to pluck the _mess_ out of his hair.

It took a moment to realize what it was, but the ink bleeding through the wet paper gave it away; he glared at Alec. "You put a giant spit-ball in my hair."

"Technically," said Alec as he slowly backed away, "it's not a spit-ball, as saliva was not involved."

"It comes to the same thing in the end." He slopped the sodden letter back down into the sink and advanced on Alec, who was now backing towards the bedroom. "You'll pay for that, Shadowhunter."

Alec smirked. "Oh, I hope so."


End file.
